Armstrong: ‘This is my final Tour’

Lance Armstrong announced last night that this will be his last ever Tour de France. Really, this time.

“And yes, this will be my final Tour de France. It’s been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks,” said the seven-times Tour winner via his Twitter feed.

Armstrong retired from professional cycling after the 2005 season, in which he won his seventh Tour de France – the most ever won by a single rider. He won the Tour every year from 1999 to 2005 with the US Postal/Discovery Channel teams in an unrivalled display of domination.

Armstrong, who famously beat testicular cancer in 1996, set up the LiveStrong cancer foundation and concentrated his efforts on his charity work during his retirement.

After a three-year lay-off, Armstrong dusted off his cycling shoes and made a comeback at the age of 38 with the Astana team at the 2009 Tour Down Under, later participating in the 2009 Tour de France. At the time, Armstrong said the comeback was to “launch an international cancer strategy, based on the fact that we lose more than eight million people around the world to this disease.”

Armstrong finished last year’s race in third, behind Astana team-mate Alberto Contador and Saxo Bank’s Andy Schleck. Armstrong and Contador had a widely publicised spat during the race which lead to the American and his long-time manager Johan Bruyneel leaving Astana to form a new team for the 2010 season, RadioShack.

Whether Armstrong elects to make this year’s Tour his last ever race remains to be seen. The Texan has been at the centre of fresh allegations of doping after former US Postal team-mate Floyd Landis accused Armstrong of taking performance-enhancing drugs during his career. A federal investigation is currently underway to ascertain whether there is any truth behind Landis’s allegations.

Armstrong turns 39 in September this year.

The 2010 Tour de France starts in Rotterdam on Saturday, July 3, and finishes in Paris on Sunday, July 25.

Click play to watch a video montage of Armstrong’s seven Tour wins from 1999 to 2005

Armstrong at the Tour de FranceStage wins and overall victories1993Tour de France; stage 8